This invention relates to a plastic closure which is made inexpensively with injection molding equipment, and more particularly, to closures having a tamper-evident seal or tear-off portion which is removed the first time the closure is opened, to provide a tamper-evident feature for the container.
The present invention is particularly useful for containers of fluid products which are dispensed by pouring. Users of such containers have found it convenient to have a pour spout associated with the container to prevent dripping or unintentional spilling of the contents during pouring. With the continued emphasis on tamper indication and product safety, it is becoming increasingly important that such containers be provided with an indication of tampering, not only with respect to the liquid contents thereof, but also with respect to the pour spout which, by reason of the product contact inherent in its operation, plays an important role in consumer safety and satisfaction.
Occasionally, closures, and particularly those closures formed by injection molding, have been provided with a tear strip which must be removed in order to allow access to the container contents. Closures having these tear strip arrangements often require more intricate, less desirable mold designs and special application machinery to mate the closures with bottles and the like containers having conventional threaded finishes.
Further, there has been considerable interest in assuring an easy and predictable removal of the tear strip tamper indicator from the closure. Costly molding and post-forming tooling have been necessary in some applications, to provide a closure with deformable elements having the desired rupture characteristics. However, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, significant economies of operation can be achieved if the closure is molded or otherwise formed with as few pieces as possible, and the greatest cost advantages are often achieved with a closure which can be molded as an integral component.
Consumers familiar with containers having pour spouts for fluid products, especially foods such as ketchup, salad dressing or the like products which congeal upon exposure to open air, will appreciate that the pour spout must be totally enclosed in an air-free environment when not in use. Squeeze bottles or the like having a snorkel-like pouring nozzle have been provided with end caps which fit over the free end of the nozzle and which are secured to the base of the nozzle with plastic banding integrally formed therewith. However, considerable care must be exercised in aligning the end cap with the nozzle. Also, the interconnecting band or strap is fragile and susceptible to tearing, with a potential loss of the end cap closure.
Other nozzles, such as those used with mustard containers, have closure arrangements located internal to the nozzle at points remote from the pouring tip thereof. However, after a dispensing operation is completed, the tip of the nozzle remains filled with the product, being trapped in the nozzle, above the closure elements. Over time, upon exposure to the outside air, the product trapped in the tip of the nozzle will spoil, congeal or otherwise present an unsatisfactory condition to the consumer. Accordingly, it is desirable to eliminate such trapping of product in the spout and to provide a total enclosure of the spout, preventing its contact with the outside air.